Editorial : A chance in Srinagar: On Ramzan ceasefire

The Centre’s announcement of a cessation(विराम/बंद होना) of operations
in Jammu and Kashmir during(की अवधि में/दौरान) the
month of Ramzan is a welcome step. The direction(दिशा/नीति) to
the security forces not to launch operations in the State during this period,
while allowing them to reserve “the right to retaliate(प्रतिशोध लेना/बदला लेना) if
attacked or if it is essential(आवश्यक/अनिवार्य) to
protect the lives of innocent

people”, is aimed at bringing respite(राहत/टालना) to the Valley after two
years of escalated(तना हुआ/ ख़राब करना) violence,
since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen ‘commander’ Burhan Wani in July 2016.
The decision came days after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti informed the Centre
that an all-party meeting had called for a ceasefire. The quick response will
help her recover some equilibrium(संतुलन/साम्यवस्था) politically,
and get an administrative(प्रशासनिक) grip
on the street. In this current phase of violence in the Valley, there has been
a marked increase in home-grown militancy(आतंकवाद). All
too often, the funeral(अंतिम
संस्कार/शवयात्रा) of a local militant has become
the rallying point for anti-state protests, which lead to new recruitment. The
ceasefire will limit such occasions(हालत/अवसरों).
The stone-pelting protests too have taken their toll and deepened alienation(अलगाव की भावना।/हस्तांतरण). The
cessation of cordon-and-search operations is a high-risk initiative(पहल/प्रेरणा) — but it is
the very riskiness of the gesture(संकेत/हाव-भाव) that
could invite confidence among local groups to consider ways and means to mark
an end to the violent couple of years.

A series of calibrated(जांच करना)complementary(अतिरिक्त/संपूरक) steps
are required if any lasting contribution(योगदान) to
improving the situation on the ground is to be made. Importantly, the
announcement came just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit
to Srinagar on Saturday, and his remarks will be closely tracked. The ceasefire
has brought back memories of the 2000 Ramzan effort of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee
government. That initiative set in motion a series of developments towards
dialogue, despite the still-fresh wounds of the 1999 Kargil conflict.(संघर्ष/टकराव) There are parallels(समानताएं/मेल खाना) between
those days and today. In terms of violence, Kashmir is quickly spiralling out
of control to the level seen 15 years ago. Even as the security forces have
gunned down 64 suspected terrorists in 2018, a large number of young Kashmiris
have taken up arms. According to the latest data from the State police, 69
local youth have joined militancy, 35 of them in the wake of the April 1
operations in which 13 locals were killed. But just a temporary halt to
security operations in Kashmir is not enough. At best, it can be the first step
in a long and difficult road to recovery, and eventually(फलतः/अंत में) peace.
Currently, the 2003 ceasefire on the Pakistan border is in tatters(झटके में/चिथड़े). It
must be urgently restored. But most important, a political outreach, possibly
unconditional, is required to help Kashmir get back to normal. As Mr. Vajpayee
did back then, Mr. Modi must take political ownership of the outreach. Else,
the Ramzan ceasefire could remain an isolated (अलग किया/पृथक)outreach.